A MAN has been arrested in connection to the disappearance of Ciara Breen in 1997.

The man, aged in his 50s, is currently being detained at Drogheda Garda Station.

Ciara Breen was reported missing on February 13th 1997.

She was last seen at her home at Bachelor's Walk in Dundalk in the early hours February 13th 1997.

Age progression photograph of Ciara Breen.

She was 17-years-old when she vanished

Despite extensive investigations over the last three decades, the circumstances of the teenager's disappearance have remained a mystery.

In November, gardai renewed calls for anyone who knew Ciara's whereabouts at the time, or who can shed any light on her disappearance, to come forward.

Detective Inspector Pat Marry said they decided to ask the public for help after a witness had recently come forward with some new information.

He admitted that gardai believe Ciara came to serious harm on the night she vanished and at this stage are actively seeking to find remains which could help solve the case and bring closure to her family.

DI Marry said: 'We firmly believe that the answer to this case lies locally. There are people in the Dundalk area who know something that can help to solve this case, and give Ciara's family, especially her mother Bernadette, closure after all these years'.

DI Marry revealed in December that Gardai had received two anonymous letters about the case in the wake of the local media appeal and he appealed for the writer to come forward, saying he was willing to meet them at any time to speak to them in confidence. And on December 15, the top garda appeared on RTE's Crimecall programme, which featured a reconstruction of the night Ciara went missing and a heart-wrenching interview with Bernadette.